WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Former UNCW men's soccer standout Hjalmar Ekdal has signed a four-year contract to play for Djurgården IF.
 
The 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, Ekdal earned First-Team All-CAA and NCCSIA All-State notice after starting all 20 games as a freshman before signing a professional contract with IK Frej in 2018.
 
Ekdal, who earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Second Team, netted the game-winning goal in the Seahawks' 1-0 victory over No. 3 North Carolina on Sept. 1, 2017, to collect CAA Player of the Week honors. He was also named as the CAA Rookie of the Week after receiving Defensive MVP distinction at the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament.
 
Ekdal joined Djurgården IF after playing 26 Allsvenskan matches for IK Sirius last year. He made his debut with the Swedish U-21 national team last fall.
 
"Hjalmar is an exciting and modern midfielder who had a nice development in Frej and Sirius," said Djurgården IF Sports Director Bosse Andersson. "He is skilled, pass-safe and covers most things in his midfield play. He is a player who has very good future prospects and it will be interesting to follow him in the coming years with us."